The manufacture of vehicle steering wheels is done, according to DE 197 24 073 A1, by stamping out a sheet metal part that is deformed after the stamping procedure into a one-piece sheet metal skeleton. In the area of the closed annular portion, which forms the skeleton in the area of the steering wheel rim, this annular portion is bent, for example, by deep drawing, to form a hollow profile that is not completely closed. During the subsequent applying of foam onto the skeleton, the objective is for the foam to lie as uniformly as possible over the outer surface, although this is not always easy to achieve because of the contours of the skeleton.
For example, if the steering wheel skeleton is only covered with leather, a relatively high effort is necessary to almost completely close the cross-section of the skeleton in the area of the steering wheel rim. An almost complete closing, however, is desired so that, when the driver compresses the steering wheel rim, he/she cannot push the leather into the inside of the hollow profile.